Construction of fireproof buildings



(No Model.)

. J. D. LAZELL.

GONSTRUGTION OF FIREPROOP BUILDINGS. No. 560,537. Patented May 19, 1896.

Inventor: Wwwgs'sesi Jarrces' fl. LazelZ awwvJ/Hw v 5 z' AN DREWBJERMIANL PHUTOMTHQWASHINGION. DC

UNITED STATES [PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES D. LAZELL, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

CONSTRUCTION OF FIREPROOF BUILDINGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 560, 587, dated May 19,1896. Application filed March 2,1896; Serial No. 581,534. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES D. LAZELL, a citizen of the United States,residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certainImprovements in the Construction of Fireproof Buildings, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention consists of an improved form of lintel for insertionbetween the adjoining floor or roof beams in fireproof constructions,the object of my invention being to provide a lintel which, whilepossessing the necessary amount of strength, is extremely light andcheap and can be readily packed, transported, and applied.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of one ofmy improved lintels. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the two partsof the lintel detached from each other. Fig. 3 is a sectional view ofpart of a structure, illustrating the application of the lintels to thebeams. Fig. 4 is a transverse section on the line 4 4, Fig. 3. Fig. 5 isa sectional plan View illustrating two of my improved lintels applied toadjoining beams, and Figs. 6 and 7 are views illustrating certainmodifications of my invention.

Lintels of the character to which my inven tion relates are intended tospan the spaces between adjoining beams in fireproof structures, and areusually composed of a single piece of terra-cotta in the form of ahollow shell with transversely-arched top and flat bottom, the top ofthe lintel serving as a center for supporting the concrete fillingbetween the beams when the same is applied andbefore it becomes set, soas to be self-supporting, while the lower portion of the lintel projectsbelow the base of the beam or girder to which the lintel is applied andserves as a lath for receiving the plaster constituting the ceiling ofthe room or apartment below.

My improved lintel in its preferred form consists wholly of woven wireor perforated sheet metal, these two materials, so far as my inventionis concerned, being substantial equivalents of each other. Hence thelintel is cheap and possesses the minimum of weight consistent with itsdesired strength.

The top portion or center of the lintel consists of a transverselyarched or bowed strip A of a length dependent upon the space be tweenadjoining beams in the structure to which it is to be applied, saidtransversely arched or bowed strip having at each side a projectingflange a, as shown in Fig. 2.

The lower portion or lath of the lintel consists of a strip 13 of alength dependent upon the distance between the centers of adjoiningbeams in the structure to which the lintel is to be applied, said striphaving at each side a hooked flange I) for engagement with the oppositeflanges a of the upper portion A of the lintel, as shown in Fig. 1. Thelower portion of the lintel has also by preference a centralupwardly-projecting rib cl, both rib and flanges being readily formed bybending the material of which the lintel is composed.

The upper portion A of the lintel is at each endrounded, as shown inFig. 5, on a curve described from an axial point at the longitudinalcenter of the lintel, or otherwise so formed that the lintel can beintroduced between the adjoining beams D while parallel with said beamsor at such an angle that it will clear the flanges of the same and whenin proper vertical position can be turned round to a position at rightangles to the beams, as shown in Fig. 5, so that the top portion of thelintel will rest at the ends upon the lower flanges of the beams, asthere illustrated.

The hooked flange b at the lower portion of the lintel is cut away ateach end to accommodate the lower flanges of the beams D, said lowerportion of the lintel projecting beneath each beam to or about thecenter line of the same, as shown in Fig. 3, the opposite ends of thecentral longitudinal rib d having a bearing against the under flange ofeach beam, as there shown, so as to stiffen the under part of the linteland prevent upward deflection or distortion of the same by pressure frombelow.

The provision of the upper portion of the lintel withlaterally-projecting flanges, to which the lower portion of the lintelis secured, insures the formation of spaces between adjoining lintels,so that the concrete filling interposed between the lintels and thefloor above has a bearing upon the lower flanges of the beams D as wellas upon the lintels. Hence the weight of the concrete when the samebecomes set is not borne by the lintels alone, but by the lower flangesof the beams themselves.

IVhile I prefer to construct my improved lintel wholly of woven wire orperforated sheet metal'for the reasons before set forth, a compositelintel composed in part of woven wire or perforated sheet metal and inpart of fire-brick, terra-cotta or imperforate metal might be madewithin the scope of my invention. For instance, in Fig. 6 I haveillustrated a lintel composed of an upper portion or center A ofwovenwire or perforated sheet metal and a lower portion or lath B ofterra-cotta, the latter having 011 the under side ribs for receiving andholding in place the plaster and having at each side hooked flanges bfor engaging with the lateral flanges a, formed upon the upper portion Aof the lintel, and in Fig. 7 I have illustrated another construction, inwhich the upper portion A of the lintel, composed of woven wire orperforated sheet metal, is combined with a lower portion B ofterra-cotta, having upwardly-projeeting flanges D which are secured tothe laterallyprojecting flanges a by means of nails, screws, or otheravailable fastenings. I11 these cases the terra-cotta-lath portion or?the lintel is preferably composed of two or more sections, so that itcan be made upon ordinary brick or tile machinery and can be burnedwithout warping.

It will be evident that the parts composing my improved lintel can bereadily formed into proper shape at the point where the building isbeing erected, or if made at a point remote from the building can beclosely packed and readily transported, thereby overcoming 0bjectionswhich are inseparable from the use of terra-cotta lintels. Moreover, myimproved lintels can be made of any desired length, so as to permit ofany required spacing of the beams or girders D, whereas terra-cottalintels are necessarily of limited length and demand comparatively closespacing of said beams D.

I have shown my invention in the form of a lintel such as that set forthin Faweetts Patent No. $15,339, dated November 19, 1889, said lintelbeing constructed so as to provide air-spaces beneath the beams orgirders as well as through the lintels, but it will be evident that themain features of my invention may be embodied in lintels in which thisairspace beneath the beams is not provided for.

I wish it to be understood that I do not claim, broadly, a lintelcomposed of woven wire or perforated sheet metal, as lintels of suchmaterial, but differing in structural detail from mine, have heretoforebeen proposed. Hence I claim as my invention and desire to secure byLetters Patent- 1. The within-described lintel, adapted to span thespace between the beams or girders of a structure so as to form a centerfor the concrete above and a lath for the plaster below it, said lintelcomprising a transversely arched or bent top strip with lateral edgeflanges and a bottom strip having portions secured to said lateral edgeflanges, substantially as specified.

2. The within-described lintel, adapted to span the space betweenadjoining beams or girders of a building and to form a center for theconcrete above and a lath for the plaster below it, said lintelconsisting of a transversely arched or bent top strip with lateral edgeflanges and abottom strip having hooked flanges for engaging with thoseof the top strip, substantially as specified.

3. The within-described lintel, adapted to span the space betweenadjoining beams or girders of a building, and to form a center for theconcrete above and a lath for the plaster below it, said lintelconsisting of a transversely arched or bent upper strip with lateraledge flanges, and a lower strip having portions secured to said lateraledge flanges, said lower strip projecting at each end beneath the lowerflange of the beam to which the lintel is applied, substantially asspecified.

4. The within-described lintel, adapted to span the space betweenadjoining beams or girders of a building and to form a center for theconcrete above and a lath for the plaster below it, said lintelconsisting of a transversely arched or bent upper strip with lat eraledge flanges and a lower strip having portions secured to said lateraledge flanges, said securing portion being recessed at each end for thereception of the lower flanges of the beams or girders, whereby saidlower strip is permitted to project beneath said beams or girders,substantially as specified.

5. The within-described lintel, adapted to span the space betweenadjoining beams or girders of a building and to form a center for theconcrete above and a lath for the plaster below it, said lintelconsisting of a transversely arched or bent upper strip with lateraledge flanges and a lower strip having portions secured to said edgeflanges, said lateral strip projecting at each end beneath the beam orgirder on which the lintel is supported, and having an upstanding ribbearing against the under side of said flange, substantially asspecified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES D. LAZELL. \Vitnesses:

FRANK E. BECI'ITOLD, Jos. l-l'. KLEIN.

